


Dancing on Thin Ice

by QueenIsabelle



Category: Brave (2012), Frozen (2013), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Background Relationships, Cause things are gonna get a little dark, Elsa and Anna haven't seen each other in years, Elsa is a figure skater, Ice Skating AU, Jack Frost is a hockey player, Jelsa - Freeform, Like romance but not necessarily at the forefront, Modern AU, Multi, Sisterhood, Slow Burn, This is Jelsa but also Elsa and Anna's sisterly bond, jelsa au, no powers au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2019-10-09 06:05:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenIsabelle/pseuds/QueenIsabelle
Summary: Elsa has been figure skating since she was a child. Sent to a performing arts school in Europe at age eight, it's been years since she's seen her sister, Anna. When a threat on Elsa's life is made, she should be terrified, but she's also ecstatic: she finally gets to go home after twelve years. She reunites with Anna, though she does have to deal with her annoying best friend, Jack "Frost" Overland. But as the death threats continue and new friendships are formed, a dark secret from Elsa's past may come to light and ruin it all.





	1. A Little Bit of You

**Author's Note:**

> Coming at you with a multi-chap fic! I don't know how long it's gonna be, but probably at least ten chapters. Some dark themes will be introduced later, so the rating might go up and I will probably add archive warnings. As for this chapter, it's kind a prologue-y sort, with a POV from Anna. (POVs will mostly be from Elsa, recurring from Jack and Anna.)  
> Some background info: the story is set in 2018, in Burgess, MA (it was going to be Burgess, VA, but there is no NAHL teams anywhere near Virginia so I decided to try and stick with the league.) Anna is 18, Jack is 20, Elsa is 20 (I shortened their age gap by a few months; she'll be turning 21). More characters from the other fandoms will be introduced soon, but this was really setting up the story that's gonna happen.  
> Also, Anna and Elsa's parents names come from the Broadway show (which is incredible, btw. I'm writing this from the grave because I died of happiness after seeing it.)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this opening chapter!

  
_A little bit of you, a little bit of me_  
_A part that loves to dream_  
_A part that swings from a tree._  
_A little like me, a little like you_  
_A part that's nice_  
_A part that's naughty too._  
~A Little Bit of You, Frozen on Broadway 

* * *

Anna Winters was not very good at ice-skating. The skates were never the right size, the air was too cold, and the ice was too slippery, as she liked to tell people. She constantly fell and often took many innocent bystanders along with her. She’d taken to wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with the word “HAZARD” written in bold, black letters any time she got within twenty feet of a rink. Yet, somehow, here she was on an ice rink, once again, holding on to the side for dear life.

“Anna, you might find that you could get better if you let go of the wall every once in a while.” Her best friend, Jackson Overland—Jack to his friends, and Jack “Frost” to his opponents on the ice—laughed as he skated literal circles around the strawberry-blonde.

__

Anna scoffed. “Oh, please, you’ve seen me attempt to skate before. You just want me to make a fool of myself on the ice. Again.” Jack stopped suddenly, a look of offended shock on his face, complete with a hand over his heart.

__

“How dare you question my motives. I’m just trying to help my dearest friend get her frozen sea legs,” he said.

__

“Ha ha. You’re so funny.” Anna glared at him as he began to skate backwards while she struggled to keep up.

__

“Well, I wasn’t voted ‘Class Clown’ for nothing.”

__

“I still think ‘Most Likely to Live in a Van Next to the River’ was a more apt superlative for you.”

__

“Harsh, Anna. Harsh.”

__

“Ugh,” Anna groaned. “I don’t understand why you made me come here! This place is horrible!”

__

“Didn’t you and your sister used to come here all of the time when you were younger?” Jack asked. He rushed forward as Anna’s legs went out from under her and managed to steady her before she hit the ice.

__

“Thanks,” Anna murmured gratefully, brushing a pigtail back behind her shoulder. “And that was a long time. Like, before she left to go become a professionally trained figure skater in Europe.” Anna sighed, thinking about her elder sister, Elsa. The two hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, Elsa being too busy training in Norway to come back home and Anna apparently being too much of a distraction to go there, according to their mother and father. The only saving grace was e-mail, as old-fashioned as that sounded. The sisters messaged each other daily, updating the other on their lives. (Anna loved to hear about the techniques that Elsa learned, while Elsa claimed that Anna’s boring high school life was much more entertaining.) They weren’t able to communicate simultaneously, thanks to the time distance and Elsa’s busy schedule, but Anna knew how much her sister missed her.

__

“But it was still fun?” Jack added, snapping Anna back to the conversation at hand. 

__

“Elsa was what made it fun. She’d hold my hands and dance me around the ice. It was the best thing ever,” Anna said wistfully. Jack smirked.

__

“Held your hands, huh?” he asked. Anna realized her mistake.

__

“Wait, Jack, no!” she yelled as he grabbed ahold of her and pulled her into the middle of the rink. Anna continued to shriek as Jack dragged her across the ice, passing giggling children and elderly couples. She imagined what they looked like to these people: an attractive young man who glided across the ice with an ease that rivalled the winter spirit he was named after, and an inelegant, braided pig-tailed weirdo who looked like an actual fish out of water.

__

“Jackson Overland, knock it off this second!” she shrieked as he began to make another lap. Jack laughed and threw her a mischievous glance before shrugging.

__

“If you insist,” he said, letting go of her hands as he swung her in a perfect arc.

__

“Not like that!” she cried, her voice probably lost in the roaring laughter from her ex-best friend and the audience they had gathered. Anna screwed her eyes shut as she flew across the surface, bracing herself for the crash against the wall and cursing her taste in friends. But the impact was much softer than she expected and was followed by a breathless Oomph! as she and her barrier fell to the ground.

__

Anna carefully opened her eyes, her head pillowed on what appeared to be a guy’s rather strong chest. She looked up to see her savior’s surprised face staring at her.

__

“Oops!” Jack called from across the rink. “Sorry, Kristoff!”

__

“Seriously? You’re not concerned about me at all?” Anna yelled back at her friend, shaking her head disbelievingly. Then, she remembered that she was still sprawled across the goalie for the Burgess Guardians and scrambled to get off of his chest. “Oh, God, I am so sorry, Kristoff!”

__

Kristoff chuckled as he sat up on the ice. Anna felt her face burn red at the look of amusement he gave her.

__

“It’s fine, Anna. I saw Jack throwing you around the rink. Are you okay?” he said, a hint of concern in his words.

__

“Oh, me? I-I’m fine. Psh, totally fine. Oh, are you okay?” Anna asked worriedly.

__

“I’m fine.” Kristoff got to his feet and held his hand out to Anna, who carefully took it and managed to stand up on wobbly legs. “Would you like some help getting over to the bleachers? You look like you would like to be done for the day. And we kind of need the rink for practice.”

__

“Yeah, that would be really nice of you,” Anna said, clutching tightly to his arm so as not to fall again. He managed to skate her safely to the side where she practically fell onto the cold metal. Anna wasted no time in ripping off her skates, swearing that she would never set foot on the ice again.

__

“You know, Anna?” Kristoff spoke in the middle of Anna’s ranting. She froze and looked sheepishly up at him.

__

“Yeah?”

__

“We have skating lessons, if you’d like. I’m sure Jack’s told you about them, but I’m going to start teaching the older people who come in if you’d like to learn from someone who isn’t as prone to prank you.”

__

“Oh. Huh.” Anna paused, looking up at Kristoff who now had a tinge of red on his cheeks, probably from the cold. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m sure learning from you would be nice, but I’m a little apprehensive about the whole ‘skating’ part.”

__

Kristoff laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, just think about it. The first session is coming up in a few weeks. And even if you wait till the day it starts, North would gladly let you sign up.”

__

Anna smiled. “I will. Think about it, I mean. Thanks, Kristoff.”

__

“No problem. I, uh, gotta go. Practice.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. Anna could see Jack again, now in his hockey gear, batting a puck around, while a few other members of the team began to get out on the ice. Anna nodded, and Kristoff turned around and skated off.

__

Anna finished taking off her skates and stood up to walk over to her bag a few rows up. Jack caught her attention on the stage and made a heart with his hands in a silent ask for forgiveness; she flipped him off with both hands in response. The sound of his laughter followed her as she grabbed her bag and left the skating rink.

__

* * *

__

“How was skating today?” Anna’s mother, Idunna, asked her daughter. Anna groaned and stabbed at her mashed potatoes.

__

“Horrible. I can barely stand on the ice. And then Jack took me for a joyride around the rink, which was not fun,” Anna added. Agnarr, her father, choked on his laughter as he went to take a drink of his wine. Anna glared at her father as he wiped at his mouth, eyes twinkling with mirth.

__

“Any casualties, dear?” he asked.

__

“Just one. I ran into Kristoff, but you know that guy—he’s built like a wall. But he helped me get off the rink and then told me about the lessons that they’re offering in a few weeks,” Anna said.

__

“Are you interested in the lessons?” Idunna asked eagerly, reaching for her purse that was upstairs in her bedroom. “We can write a check right now.”

__

“I don’t know, Mama. I’m gonna think about it, but I’ll let you guys know when I decide,” Anna said carefully, not wanting to get her parents’ hopes up. They loved that Elsa was a figure skater, but with her on a different continent, they weren’t exactly able to be directly involved during her childhood. Anna, however, was a different story. She had all of their parents’ attention, and none of the talent.

__

“Speaking of figure skating, I got an email from Elsa yesterday about her last competition,” Agnarr said.

__

“Yes, she got first, right? We already knew that,” Idunna responded. The Winters’ had access to all of the channels that showed figure skating competitions, and they watched each one of them religiously.

__

“Yes, but she was just telling me about some of the notes that Elinor gave her on her performance. I think that she has a strong shot at the Olympics next year,” Agnarr said.

__

“Would we be able to go see her?” Anna asked, jumping in to her parents’ conversation. Her mother and father paused, glancing nervously at each other.

__

“Possibly, Anna,” her father conceded.

__

“But it all depends on how it interferes with your studies,” Idunna added. “You’ll be a sophomore in college. You can’t slack off just because you’re only halfway through.”

__

“It would be two weeks to go see _my sister_ perform in the _Olympics_! Seriously, how awesome would that be?” Anna could feel her temper rising and struggled to control it. She hated the way that her parents’ seemed to keep her and Elsa apart. It was crazy, and she was starting to get sick of it. Before the discussion could continue any father, however, the doorbell rang. Anna threw her napkin down on her lap and stood up. “Don’t worry. I’ll get it. I can at least do one useful thing around here.”

__

“Anna,” Idunna began, but Anna left the dining room before her mother could finish the sentence. She stomped her way towards the foyer, trying to calm herself down. It was most likely a Girl Scout at the door trying to sell cookies or something, and Anna didn’t want to scare her off just because of Idunna and Agnarr Winters. She stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath, and pasted a smile on her face.

__

“Hello, how can I help you?” She opened the door, generic greeting at the ready. Her smile dropped in shock when she saw who was on the front stoop.

__

“Elsa?” Anna’s older sister stood with one fist poised to knock on the door, a large man standing behind her holding a duffel bag. Elsa’s arm dropped and a small smile began to form on her face.

__

“Hey, Anna.”

__


	2. Dangerous to Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa (kind of) explains her sudden appearance, and Anna has to share this exciting new revelation or she might literally burst.

  
_I wish I could tell the truth_  
_Show you who’s behind the door_  
_I wish you knew what all this pantomime_  
_And pageantry was for._  
~Dangerous to Dream, Frozen on Broadway  


* * *

“Hey, Anna,” Elsa said, smiling nervously. She felt extremely self-conscious standing in front of her now-grown-up baby sister, but she couldn’t help the way that her heart swelled at the sight. Anna was eighteen years old now—the baby-roundness of her face melted away to reveal high cheekbones, the red of her hair lightened to a strawberry-blonde color though still tied in pig-tailed braids, and the height that put her right at Elsa’s eye-level. Were they actually the same height?

“Anna, who’s at the door?” Agnarr asked, coming from the dining room. He stopped when he saw his elder daughter. “Elsa? What on earth are you doing here?”

“Elsa?” Iduna had appeared now, too, staring at Elsa with shock.

Elsa schooled her features into a polite expression, knowing that her parents would not be pleased with anything less.

“Hello, Mother, Father,” she said, nodding to each of them. It was at that moment that Anna got over her surprise and launched herself at her sister. She flung her arms around Elsa’s neck, clutching the elbows of her opposite arms to make the hug impossible to escape from. Elsa returned the hug just as viciously, forcing tears from her eyes as she held her baby sister in her arms.

“You’re here! Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re _here_!” Anna squealed. Then, she pulled back slightly. “Wait, why are you here? And who’s the guy in the suit.”

“Oh, yes. This is Marshall. He’s my bodyguard,” Elsa said, reluctantly letting go of Anna.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Anna. Your sister has told me much about you,” Marshall added from behind Elsa.

“Nice to meet you too…” Anna said uncertainly. “When did you get a bodyguard?”

“We hired him for her when she turned sixteen,” Agnarr said, drawing the girls’ attention back to their parents. Neither one looked pleased to see Elsa at their home.

“Elsa, what on earth are you doing here?” Iduna demanded. “You have competitions and practice! Now is not the time for a social visit!”

“I haven’t had a social visit since I left for Norway, Mother,” Elsa snapped, irritated at her mother’s tone.

“And that’s not why she’s here,” Marshall said, gently stepping past Elsa and into the house. Elsa watched Anna’s face fall and reached for her hands.

“But it is a bonus,” Elsa said, smiling at her sister.

“What’s going on then, Marshall?” Agnarr asked.

“Elsa’s safety is at risk. We decided to move her back here for the time being while it is being investigated back in Norway.” Marshall walked around the foyer as he said this, examining the portraits and checking under the rug.

“Her safety? What do you mean?” Iduna brought a hand up to her necklace, fingering the locket which held a picture of Elsa and Anna when they were children.

“It’s safe for you to enter, Miss Winters,” Marshall said, addressing Elsa and ignoring her mother. Elsa nodded but paused.

“Would you like help carrying my stuff in, Marshall?” she asked.

“I appreciate the offer, Miss Winters, but I would prefer if you would enter your house. I’ll check the other rooms quickly, and then we can discuss the safety measures that I would like to implement while you’re here.” With that, Marshall left the foyer in a brisk pace, his left hand placed on his hip where he kept his gun. Elsa stepped inside and shut the door behind her, then turned back to her family.

“I know we’ve said this a lot in the past two minutes, but what the hell is going on?” Anna asked.

“I received a death threat in the mail yesterday,” Elsa said. She watched as Anna gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth. Iduna paled considerably and gripped the locket tightly in her fist. Agnarr was the only one not to show any outward emotions.

“I see. Why don’t we continue this discussion in my study?” he suggested.

“Of course, but after Marshall clears it. He is very much about protocol,” Elsa said.

“Are you okay? Are you totally freaked out? Is there anything I can do?” Anna asked, latching onto her sister’s arm. Elsa smiled softly at her sister.

“It’s alright, Anna,” Elsa reassured her.

“And this is none of your concern, Anna,” Idunna said. “I wish Elsa hadn’t even discussed this in your presence, to be perfectly honest.”

“None of my concern? She’s my sister!” Anna argued.

“What are you going to do? Nothing, not without endangering yourself, which Elsa most certainly does not want. I suggest that you go up to your room and continue studying,” Iduna told her younger daughter. Anna spluttered with disbelief.

“It’s summer break!” she managed to get out.

“It’s always best to be prepared. I agree with your mother. Go upstairs, Anna,” Agnarr ordered.

“But, Elsa—” Anna turned to her elder sister entreatingly as Elsa sighed wearily.

“Anna, I appreciate your offer, but I don’t want to risk your safety. I think it’s best if you were not involved in this,” she said softly, her eyes focused on her hands clasped in front of her. She brought her gaze up to Anna’s blue eyes and frowned. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”

Anna looked ready to retort, but something in Elsa’s gaze must have made her stand down. Instead, she sighed and let go of Elsa’s arm.

“Okay. I’ll go upstairs. I understand,” Anna said. Elsa watched as her sister slowly left the foyer and then made her way up the staircase, the sound of footsteps down the hall and a door shutting following soon after.

“I think that was the quietest argument we’ve had with Anna in years,” Agnarr noted.

“I understand why you want to keep Anna out of this,” Elsa began, facing her parents for the first time alone, “but it’s also important that she be kept informed for her own safety.”

“We don’t even know what’s going on, Elsa. There’s no need to drag your sister into this,” Iduna admonished. Elsa sighed as Marshall entered the foyer again and gave the all clear. She tried to keep the pit of worry in her chest from unravelling as she followed her parents into the study.

* * *

“Jack, you’ll never believe what just happened,” Anna told her best friend over the phone. As soon as she’d entered her bedroom, she’d leapt for her phone that was plugged in on her nightstand and dialed his number.

“Um, your parents said that you could have that chocolate slip-n-slide that you’ve wanted since your sixteenth birthday party?” he guessed. Anna could hear sounds of laughter in the background of Jack’s house, punctuated by a shriek of his kid sister every few moments. She smiled at the thought of the Overland’s and their family dinners, warm and intimate and filled with Emma’s adventures in the sixth grade.

“No, but that would still be awesome,” Anna said.

“Okay, uh, give me a moment. Emma and Dad are wrestling, and it’s ridiculously loud in here,” Jack said. There was some shuffling noises and the sound of a door closing, then: “Alright, I’m back. Another guess… um, did Kristoff ask you out?”

“What? No! We’re just friends, Jack. He doesn’t like me like that,” Anna said, rolling her eyes.

“Uh-huh, okay. Well, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to guess, so you might as well just tell me.”

“My sister’s home!”

“Whoa, wait, really?”

“Yes! There was a knock on the door, and I went and answered it, and there she was! Oh my God, it was so good to be able to see her in person and not, like, on a screen through the TV.” Anna sighed happily.

“That’s great, Anna,” Jack said. “I’m really happy for you.”

“You have to come over tomorrow so that I can introduce you!” Anna said, sitting up on her bed as the idea occurred to her.

“Uh, I’m not sure about that, Anna. I mean, she just got home tonight? She’s probably jet-lagged coming from Finland—”

“—Norway—”

“—Same thing. Both cold,” Jack said dismissively. “Besides, she probably just wants to spend time with you.”

“Well, that’s kind of the thing,” Anna said, worrying her bottom lip.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, her bodyguard kind of made it seem like—”

“Her _bodyguard_? Seriously? Why does she need a bodyguard? How competitive is it in the figure skating world?”

“Okay, one, we just watched _I, Tonya_ a few weeks ago, so you know exactly how competitive figure skating is. Also, if you saw Elsa figure skate, you’d know why she in particular might need a bodyguard. And two, that’s another part of the reason that I’d kind of like for you to come over tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked. The worry in his tone was evident, and Anna smiled with the knowledge that Jack would always have her back, no matter what.

“I don’t exactly know myself,” Anna admitted. “But I do know that I would feel better with your comforting and mischievous presence around, and I think that it might be nice for Elsa to know another friendly face around Burgess.”

“I don’t know, Anna…” Jack trailed off.

“Please, Jack? Please, please, please?” Anna begged. Jack groaned. Anna could picture him throwing his head back in exasperation.

“Okay,” Jack agreed. Anna cheered. “But on one condition!”

“Anything,” Anna said before she could stop herself. She immediately regret her decision.

“You have to take those ice skating lessons.” The grin in his voice was palpable. Anna cringed.

“Ugh, fine,” she conceded.

“Really, that easy?”

“Well, now that Elsa’s back, maybe skating will be fun again.”

“Are you saying it’s not fun with me?” Jack feigned hurt.

“You literally threw me across the ice today,” Anna deadpanned.

“Touché. Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early. Sleep tight, snow bird,” Jack said.

“I hate that nickname!” Anna yelled into the phone as he hung up. She sighed and threw her phone down onto her bedspread. She flopped backwards, fingers coming up to begin unbraiding her pigtails as she thought over what would happen tomorrow. If Anna was being completely honest with herself, she didn’t just want Jack to come over so that he could meet Elsa; she wanted him to come over so that he could be a buffer. Because as much as she loved her sister, Anna couldn’t help but worry about how their relationship might change now that it was in real life. The two hadn’t seen each other in twelve years, and while Anna knew that it was mostly her parents’ doing, she couldn’t help but feel that Elsa could have come and visited after she’d turned eighteen.

Still, Anna had a hopeful heart. She had her big sister back. What could possibly ruin that? (Aside from the whole ‘threat on Elsa’s life’ thing.)


	3. I'm Not That Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Jack meet for the first time.

_Ev’ry so often we long to steal_  
_To the land of what-might-have-been_  
_But that doesn’t soften the ache we feel_  
_When reality sets back in._  
~I’m Not That Girl, Wicked

  


* * *

_The little girl stood still in the changing room, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her outfit sparkled where it caught the light, the powder-blue skirt flowing softly around her knees when she twirled._

_“Why don’t you go get changed so we can get pizza to celebrate?” her mother had told her._

_She didn’t want to get changed. She didn’t want the safety of the fabric to leave her skin, even for a moment. She didn’t want the fluorescent lights above to see her bare shoulders, the lockers to see her back, the floor to see her legs. She wanted protection from the cold, empty room and everything inside of it. She wanted protection from everything outside of it, too._

__

_Her little shoulders hunched as footsteps sounded from down the hall but relaxed when she realized how light they were._

_“Elsa?” her younger sister called, most likely skipping around. Elsa let a smile form, just as two shadowy hands snaked around her and covered her mouth, muffling her scream—_

Elsa shot up in bed, her breathing hard and the blankets falling to the floor. She looked around in confusion for a moment at the unfamiliar room before she remembered: she was home. In Burgess. With her parents and Anna. Slowly, Elsa’s heart stopped racing as she caught her breath. Glancing to the clock on her nightstand, she saw that it about a quarter after seven in the morning.

“So this is what it’s like to sleep in,” she muttered to herself. Her usual schedule consisted of getting up at four in the morning for practice from five to eight before classes. During the summer, Elinor was less lenient in her schedule. But for now—this week, at least, while Elinor and her family got settled in at their new house across town—Elsa was left to her own devices.

Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, Elsa decided to get up and get something to eat. Her stomach growled in agreement with her thoughts. She unplugged her phone from her charging station and got out of bed, rolling her shoulders to stretch out the kinks. As Elsa left her room, she did a quick check through her messages. There were two from Merida, Elinor’s daughter and one of Elsa’s closest friends, the first complaining about the mugginess during her early morning run and the second bemoaning the fact that she now lived in Virginia. Elsa chuckled at her friend’s whiny attitude but did feel a twinge of guilt; it was her fault that the DunBroch’s had moved to Virginia, though she did tell Elinor that it was not necessary. Unfortunately, Elinor listens to nobody except for herself.

The only other message Elsa had was from Marshmallow—Marshall’s codename—telling her that he would be at her house at eight o’clock sharp. Elsa sighed, guilt churning in her stomach. Marshall likely had just as much moving in to do as Elinor, yet he insisted on being by her side.

_That is what a bodyguard is for, Elsa,_ her mind whispered. Her mind sounded an awful lot like her mother. Elsa sighed again as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She had no idea what her family had stocked in the kitchen, but she needed something to eat immediately.

Elsa was so caught up in her hunger that she almost didn’t notice the shadowy figure outlined through the morning light in the main door’s window. Her heart stopped at the sight, the wispy fingers from her dream coming back to clutch at her shoulders. Quickly, she shook off the lingering effects of her dream and focused on the figure on the front porch.

The person made no move to knock on the door nor enter the house. They just stood there, almost unnaturally still. Elsa knew that, logically, she should call Marshmallow, or at the very least awaken someone else in the house, but her mind was racing too fast for her to think properly. Her body moving of its own volition, Elsa strode towards the door, unlocked it, and wrenched it open.

The figure, who had apparently been leaning against said door, stumbled inside, landing hard on his back. Elsa darted back in surprise, cataloguing information about the intruder. He looked to be of a lean build, around the height of 5’10, and had a shock of white hair. Elsa blinked as he looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise, and gave her a sheepish grin.

“Um, hi?”

“Who the hell are you?” Elsa asked, gripping her phone tightly in her hand. She tensed as the man rose up to his elbows, tipping his head back to keep eye contact with her as he slowly sat up.

“Jack Frost.”

“What?” Elsa gave him an incredulous stare. At her side, she attempted to get into her phone without drawing the man’s attention to it.

“Oh, sorry, you’re not from around here. Everyone else is just so used to it—”

Elsa decided that being subtle was overrated: “I’m calling the police.”

“Wait, no, no, don’t do that! It’s Jackson Overland Frost. Jack. I’m friends with Anna, I swear!” He got to his feet, hands spread wide as if to show Elsa that he had no weapons in his possession. It took a moment for his words to click.

“Jack…” she repeated, mentions of the name in Anna’s emails slowly entering her mind.

“Yes. Jack Frost—it’s my name, but it’s also kind of a joke because I like the winter. You know, cold, ice, snow. ‘Jack Frost nipping at your nose.’” Jack talked to her as if he was talking down a person with a bomb: one wrong move and everything would blow up.

“Why the hell are you talking like that?” His tone was starting to piss her off.

“Sorry. I didn’t know if the police was still an imminent option,” he said, rubbing a hand down the side of his neck and smirking slightly.

“What are you doing here? It’s seven in the morning,” Elsa said, still eyeing him warily.

“I have early morning practice, which is why it’s so early. As for why I’m here, Anna asked me to come over. I warned her that I’d be early.”

“From what I’ve gathered, Anna’s not an early riser.”

“That she is not, but she’s used to my antics by now.”

“Hmm.” Elsa hummed non-committedly. She relaxed slightly, having decided that Jack wasn’t a weird psycho; he was just weird.

“So, can I come in?” he asked.

“You’re already in,” she pointed out.

Jack laughed. “I mean, technically, but I would prefer more of an invitation? I’m like a vampire in that way.”

“Vampires can’t enter a home unless they’re invited in, and, as we’ve established, you’re already in,” Elsa said primly. Then, she sighed. “But yes, I suppose you can come in. Close the door behind you, please.” Elsa turned on her heel and made her way to the kitchen to find something to eat.

“So, uh, Elsa, right? What are you doing up so early?” Jack asked, following her into the kitchen. Elsa sighed as she opened the fridge, glancing over her shoulder to see him seat himself on a stool at the island.

“I thought you were here to see Anna,” Elsa said, grabbing the carton of orange juice and shutting the refrigerator.

“Yeah, but also to meet her sister. Anna talks about you all of the time. It’s nice to put a face to the name,” he said. Elsa paused and looked at him. He had a nice smile, she decided. Like that was the only expression that really fit him. He was quite handsome, which took her by surprise.

“You too, I guess,” she said and went about getting herself a glass. Unfortunately, she had no idea where the cups were kept. After two unsuccessful attempts opening cabinets, Jack stood up and went to the one beside the sink. He opened the door, took out a short glass, and held it out towards Elsa.

“Here,” Jack said. With the sleeve of her shirt wrapped around half of her hand, Elsa accepted the cup, careful not to touch his hand. Safely in her hands, she grasped the cup between both of her hands and kept her attention focused there.

“You should probably go wake Anna up,” Elsa said after a moment of silence. “I assume you two have plans for today?”

Jack chuckled. “We’re not really the type to plan our days. Drives our other friends crazy.”

“Yes, well… it was nice to meet you,” Elsa said, managing to look up into his blue eyes and give him a tight smile. Jack hesitated, then nodded and left the kitchen. Elsa let out a sigh of relief once he was gone, willing the tightness in her chest to go away.

* * *

Jack made his way up the stairs of the Winters’ household, replaying his conversation with the elder sister in his head. She was much prettier than he expected—he knew that she would be pretty, if Anna was anything to go off of, but not… beautiful.

He could see the family resemblance between the two sisters: heart-shaped face, high cheekbones, upturned noses, blue eyes. But Anna was colorful, with reddish hair and a warm skin tone and freckles sprinkled across her cheeks; Elsa was like a negative of her sister. Platinum blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Pale, nearly translucent, skin without a blemish in sight. She was like a china doll.

And Jack could already see the differences between the two sisters in personality. Elsa stood straight and carried herself with an elegance that could only be wrought from years of training where Anna tripped on flat surfaces. Elsa was reserved and poised where Anna was energetic and friendly. Jack almost couldn’t believe that his best friend was related to the woman he’d met downstairs.

He reached Anna’s door and shook himself out of his thoughts. You really shouldn’t be so quick to judge her, he told himself, it is only seven in the morning. She was probably tired. He entered Anna’s room and saw the girl spread across her bed, her hair doing its best imitation of a bush. Jack laughed out loud at the sight.

“Anna, come on. Wake up,” he said, sitting down on the mattress and shaking her shoulder.

“Huh?” Anna snorted, sitting upright, eyes still closed. “I’m… I’m awake.”

“Anna, come on. Let’s go get breakfast. I’m starving.”

“Hmm… chocolate chip pancakes?”

“Sure, but you might want to get dressed.”

“Jack?” Anna finally opened and her eyes and seemed to register his presence. “How- how did you get in?”

“Your sister.”

“Oh… Wait, you met Elsa?” Anna exclaimed. She threw her blankets off and jumped over Jack to the floor, turning back to look at him wide-eyed.

“Yeah, kind of,” he said.

“What… it’s seven thirty in the morning….” Anna turned to him and hit him in the shoulder. “Why the hell would you wake me up at seven thirty in the morning?”

“For fun,” Jack told her, smiling cheekily. Anna groaned and made her way into her bathroom. Jack pulled his phone out and began checking his Snapchat.

“So, what did you think of Elsa?” Anna called. Jack checked to make sure the door to the hallway was closed. He didn’t want the woman in question to hear them talking about her.

“She seems… nice. Kind of quiet. And jumpy,” he answered honestly.

“Jumpy?” Anna asked, poking her head around the bathroom door to give him a questioning look. Only half of her hair was flattened and Jack tried to secretly take a picture of the sight.

“Yeah, I mean, she seemed really freaked out when she saw me on the front porch. Like, threw the door open. And then she was like ‘this close’ to calling the police until I explained that I knew you. And then she kept wringing her sleeves around her hands,” Jack said as Anna disappeared again.

“Well, I suppose she does have a reason to be jumpy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain later. For now, I believe that I was promised pancakes.” Anna appeared once again, this time with her hair completely under control but still in her pajamas.

“One, the word ‘promise’ or ‘pancakes’ was never mentioned by me. And two, I still think that you might want to change,” Jack said.

“Give me a minute. Jeesh, have a little patience,” Anna said, disappearing this time inside her closet. “Hey, do you think… could we maybe invite Elsa?”

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise as his heart did a little jump. “Uh, yeah, I don’t see why not.” He cleared his throat, hoping to get rid of the squeaky quality. What was his problem?

“Awesome!” Anna said, jumping out of her closet in shorts and a t-shirt. “I’ll go ask her right now! Be right back!” Anna ran out of the room before Jack could respond. Hopefully, breakfast would be his chance to make a new first impression. And maybe to figure out the weird feeling that he felt anytime Elsa’s name was mentioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, sorry for that ending. I couldn't figure out how else to end it.
> 
> Please review, leave kudos, bookmark, etc. I really hope that you guys are enjoying this story!
> 
> Thanks, loves<3  
> ~Isabelle


	4. Just Another Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa, Anna, and Jack visit Wandering Oaken's and then the North Pole Ice Skadium.

  
_‘Cause what doesn’t kill me doesn’t kill me_  
_So fill me up for just another day_  
_It only hurts when I breathe_  
_It only hurts when I try_  
_It only hurts when I think_  
_It only hurts when I cry_  
~Just Another Day, Next to Normal  


* * *

Anna was completely oblivious to the tension between her best friend and her sister as she dug into her pancakes at Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Diner. She absent-mindedly threw out some sentences as she focused on buttering her pancakes and drowning them in syrup. She sighed as the chocolate chips melted on her tongue, her eyes closing in delight.

“Anna?” Elsa’s voice snapped Anna out of her chocolate-induced ecstasy. She opened her eyes and grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry, guys. Oaken’s pancakes are just the best, and it’s been so long since I’ve had them,” she said.

“We came here last week,” Jack reminded her, smirking.

“So. Long.” Anna nodded. “What do you think, Elsa?”

“It’s very nice,” her sister agreed, twirling her fork between her fingers. Anna had had to suppress a gasp of shock when Elsa had ordered eggs instead of the legendary pancakes. “So, how often do you come here? You said last week, yes?”

“We come here every Friday morning,” Anna said. “It’s our BFF time.”

“It’s where Anna and I became friends,” Jack added.

“Mama and Papa took me here after my first day of public school. They got busy with some phone calls, so I was just sitting at the table all alone when Jack came and sat down next to me. He made me feel better, and here we are, ten years later,” Anna explained.

“Mama and Papa just left you at a table by yourself?” Elsa asked.

“They were just outside. They were dealing with… you, I think,” Anna said awkwardly. There was a stiff moment of silence before Elsa gripped her fork and looked up at Jack.

“So, Jack, what are your plans for next year?” she asked him, smiling tightly. That, Anna noticed.

“Just another year at college,” Jack answered, obviously trying to help smooth over the situation.

“Another? Didn’t you just graduate with Anna?” Elsa asked.

“No, he graduated two years ago, like you,” Anna said. 

“Oh,” Elsa said, looking down at the table once more. “I apologize. I didn’t realize.”

“It’s okay. It’s my childish nature that youthens me.” Jack leaned back in his seat and placed a dramatic hand on his chest.

Anna snorted. “You’re such a dork. Why do I hang out with you?”

“So you have an excuse to stare at Kristoff during hockey practices,” Jack retorted.

“Kristoff?” Elsa turned to her sister, whose cheeks were rapidly turning red.

“I do not ogle him, Jackson,” Anna said.

“I said ‘stare,’ not ‘ogle,’” Jack replied, smirking at her.

“I don’t do either of those things! Kristoff is a friend, and he’s barely that. I think I annoy him more than you annoy me,” Anna said.

“Uh huh, okay. You keep telling yourself that, Anna.” Jack took a long sip from his drink. Anna huffed and crossed her arms in annoyance.

“Who is Kristoff?” Elsa asked.

“He’s the goalie for the Guardians,” Anna said. “They’re Burgess’s hockey team. Jack’s the captain.”

“Really. How long have you skated for?” Elsa turned to Jack. He blinked.

“Uh, yeah. Since I was a kid. It’s fun.” He coughed. Anna furrowed her brow. Usually, Jack couldn’t shut up about hockey.

“I’m sure,” Elsa said awkwardly, her attempts at conversation clearly not working.

“But, uh, your figure skating… that’s something, right?” Jack added.

“Something?”

“Impressive.”

“You watch figure skating?”

“No, but Anna talks about it. A lot.”

“I talk about it as much as you talk about hockey,” Anna interrupted. She glanced back and forth between her best friend and her sister. Something weird was happening, but she couldn’t tell what. Then, she got an idea.

“What if we all went to the ice rink?” Anna suggested excitedly. Jack nearly did a spit-take.

“I’m sorry. Did you just say what I thought I heard you say?” he asked. “You want to go to the ice rink. Willingly. Of your own volition. No dragging necessary, with or without kicking and screaming?”

“Yes…” Anna said slowly.

“Elsa, don’t panic, but I think that your sister has been abducted by aliens and replaced with a robot,” Jack said seriously. Elsa gave him a bemused smile.

“What?” she asked, trying to hide the laugh in her voice. Anna watched the way Jack’s eyes lit up at getting Elsa to laugh.

“Anna hates skating,” he explained to her. Elsa turned to her sister, confusion written on her face.

“You loved skating,” Elsa said, her voice soft and a little hurt.

“I loved skating with you,” Anna clarified. “You always made it fun.” Elsa looked away for a moment, her shoulders moving with her sigh. She turned back to Anna and gave her a weak smile.

“I would love to go skating today.”

* * *

Elsa had to call Marshall and let him know where she would be going. She had to beg him to let her go to the diner without him, but there was no way he was letting her go to a skating rink by herself and she knew it. He was waiting at the entrance to the North Pole Ice Skadium when she walked up to him, Anna and Jack hanging back and texting their friends. Apparently, Anna had decided that Elsa needed to meet everyone. Elsa had texted an SOS to Merida and prayed to God that she would show up. There was no way that she could handle so many new people at once.

Marshall extended her skating bag, which Elsa took with a grateful look. He looked over her shoulder at the two friends, who were now engaged in a shoving match.

“Who’s the guy?” Marshall asked. Elsa could practically see him calculating how quickly he could take Jack down.

“That’s Jack, Anna’s friend. He’s fine,” Elsa said.

“How do you know he’s fine?”

“I’ve been with him all morning, and he’s done nothing.”

“Doesn’t mean he’s not waiting for the perfect time to strike.”

“Marshall, please do not terrorize Anna’s friends. I don’t want her to hate me anymore than she already does.” Elsa sighed, gripping the handles of her bag tightly. Marshall looked at her, and his eyes softened.

“Anna doesn’t hate you, kid.” he told her. Elsa shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter. There are gonna be a lot of people in the rink, but no one is going to know who I am. I’ll be fine, okay?”

Marshall sighed. “Fine. But if this Jack guy is gonna be around you a lot, I’m gonna have to do a background check. And ask him some questions. Nothing major.”

“Oh, yes, a federal background check. Nothing major,” Elsa mocked. Marshall chuckled as Anna and Jack finally made it to the front door.

“Hey, Marshall,” Anna greeted. She already had such a nonchalant attitude around him, which Elsa was grateful for. Anna was sunshine personified. “This is my friend, Jack. Jack, this is Elsa’s bodyguard, Marshall.”

Jack nodded at the man, his skates thrown over his shoulder and holding them by the laces. “Nice to meet you… sir?”

“You can call me Marshall. For now.” Marshall gave him a once-over, then turned and entered the rink. Jack looked wide-eyed at Elsa.

“He’s suspicious around new people. Particularly men,” Elsa said. She followed Marshall’s lead and went into the building. She walked into a large, open lobby and stared in amazement at the giant wall mural, featuring all manners of icecapades.

“Isn’t it cool?” Anna said, coming up to stand behind her sister. “Rapunzel painted it.”

“She did?” Elsa asked, looking at Anna. Their cousin, Rapunzel, lived in California. Elsa was very confused as to how she managed to paint a wall in Massachusetts.

“Yeah, she moved here for art school after she graduated last year. This kind of made her a household name,” Anna explained.

“It’s incredible. She’s amazing,” Elsa said, admiring her cousin’s work.

“She’ll be here soon. She’s really excited to see you,” Anna said. Elsa smiled.

“I never realized how much I was missing,” she said, her eyes lingering on the painting of a small pair of ice skates decorated with blue snowflakes. They looked exactly like the ones that Elsa had had when she was a child. A violent shiver wracked her body at the thought, and she carefully put some space between herself and her younger sister.

“You were following your dream.” Anna was talking, oblivious to Elsa’s sudden withdrawal. “And you’re here now. That’s what’s important. Come on, let’s go introduce you to Jack’s uncle. He’s the one who owns the rink, and I suspect you’re going to be here an awful lot.”

Elsa let Anna drag her across the room to where Jack stood talking to a large man with a big, white beard. He wore a red-button up shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, exposing his tattoo-filled arms.

“Hey, North!” Anna chirped happily, bouncing on her toes. “This is my sister, Elsa.”

“Elsa!” The man, North, had a loud voice with a rather thick Russian accent. “Anna’s told me so much about you! It’s wonderful to meet such a talented skater!”

“Oh, uh, thank you,” Elsa said, smiling nervously at him. 

“How are you finding Burgess?” North asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Elsa saw that he had “Naughty” tattooed on one arm and “Nice” on the other.

“Um, I actually just got here yesterday,” Elsa said. “Everything seems different from the last time I was here.”

“Ten years, no?” North asked. Elsa clutched at her elbows and looked down at her feet.

“Something like that, yes,” she agreed. Marshall suddenly appeared behind her, and Elsa could imagine the stare he was giving North.

“Are you the owner here, sir?” Marshall asked.

“Yes. May I help you?” North responded.

“I need to speak with you. Do you have an office?”

Elsa sighed and looked up again. North looked slightly confused but still rather jolly.

“Of course. Follow me. What’s your name?” The conversation trailed off as the two men walked away, Marshall throwing Elsa a look over his shoulder that radiated STAY PUT.

“You ready to go skate?” Jack asked. Elsa glanced at him. His face held a boyish charm, blue eyes twinkling and a smile that could make a person weak in the knees.

“Come on, Elsa,” Anna said, pulling at her hand. “It’ll be like old times.” Elsa stiffened at that, her hand tightening around Anna’s.

“What happened to the old rink that I used to skate at?” Elsa asked. Anna frowned.

“Why did you just now think of that?” she asked.

“Because I’m about to skate in America for the first time in twelve years, and I don’t remember seeing my old rink,” Elsa said. Her chest tightened at the thought of that rink and that locker room. She shook her head slightly in an attempt to rid the thoughts.

“It was torn down. Health hazard or something,” Jack said slowly. “North was really happy, as bad as that sounds, but he couldn’t open this one without the old one gone.”

Elsa let out a breath. “Good. That one was falling apart.”

“I thought you loved that place,” Anna said. Elsa smiled at her sister.

“I saw better ones in Europe. Kind of ruined everything else for me,” she lied. “Come on. Are we going to skate or what?” Anna gave her sister a strange look but slowly nodded.

“Okay, yeah. Get in a couple of laps before everyone else gets here and the rink gets super crowded.” Anna looked a little white at the notion.

“Don’t worry, Anna,” Elsa teased. “I’ll hold your hand the entire time.”

“I know you’re joking, but I’m not. You let go of my hand, and I’ll shave your head tonight.”

* * *

Jack sat on the bench, working on tying his laces tightly as he watched the sister duo glide around the ice. Well, Elsa glided, her movements effortless and graceful as only a trained skater could manage, while Anna… skated. Jack had to admit that he was impressed that Anna hadn’t fallen yet and that she was seemingly enjoying herself. Elsa was turned around, skating backwards—Jack heard Anna mutter, “Show-off,” as they passed his seat—holding both of Anna’s hands and laughing.

Jack grinned at the sight. Anna looked like she was having the time of her life, while Elsa was beaming with happiness. It was the first real smile that he had seen on her all day.

“Hey.” Jack looked up to see Hiccup Haddock, the mayor’s son and Jack’s best friend (aside from Anna, of course).

“Hey. Glad you could make it,” Jack said as Hiccup sat down beside him. “Not gonna try to skate?”

“Ha ha,” Hiccup said drily, lifting his prosthetic to punctuate his point.

“I’m sure there are special skates for that.”

“Maybe someday. But not today.”

Jack laughed and leaned back against the bench, looking out at Anna and Elsa again.

“So that’s Anna’s sister?” Hiccup asked, mimicking Jack’s position.

“Yeah, Elsa, the infamous figure skater,” Jack said.

“What’s she like?” Hiccup asked. “Snobby? Stuck-up? Holier-than-thou?”

Jack snorted and shook his head. “I mean, from what I’ve seen so far, she seems nice. Kind of reserved. And there’s this whole thing with a bodyguard? I don’t know.”

“Bodyguard?” Hiccup asked. Jack nodded to where Marshall stood over by the entrance to the door. He was an imposing man, bigger than Jack’s uncle, with broad shoulders and a height nearing seven feet. His face looked like it was permanently frozen in “stern scowl.” Hiccup made a face and looked over to Jack.

Jack nodded. “Yeah. A little intense.”

“Are you gonna go and skate?” Hiccup asked.

“In a minute. I’ll let them have a little more time to themselves,” Jack said. He watched as Elsa spun Anna in a circle, then let go to do a small spin on one foot. Anna cheered as her sister finished the move, Elsa’s braid swinging over her shoulder. The girlish look about her stopped all thoughts in Jack’s brain.

Hiccup let out a low whistle. “She’s good.”

“Yeah, she is,” Jack agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the update is kind of late... I know I didn't make promises or anything, but I still wanted to update sooner than this. Also, sorry for the iffy ending (again). I wanted it to be better, but I also wanted to post.  
> Hope you're all enjoying the story so far! Please feel free to comment with your opinions, bookmark, leave kudos, etc. Whatever you'd like!
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading!  
> ~Isabelle


	5. There Are Worse Things I Could Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice-skating shenanigans ensue  
> Some new characters are introduced

  
_I could hurt someone like me_  
_Out of spite or jealousy_  
_I don’t steal and I don’t lie_  
_But I can feel and I can cry_  
_A fact I’ll bet you never knew_  
_But to cry in front of you_  
_That’s the worst thing I could do_  
-There Are Worse Things I Could Do, Grease 

* * *

Over the years, Elsa had forgotten what it was like to skate with another person. She was a solo skater, in part because her coach thought it was best that way and in part because Elsa couldn’t stand the thought of constantly being touched: hands in hers, hands around her waist, being tossed about and trusting other people. Skating was her safe space, and she did not want to share it with anyone else. But skating with Anna was more fun than she could remember.

Anna was a horrible skater. She stumbled constantly and had nearly fallen more times than Elsa could count. She held Elsa in a death grip, their hands locked together. It didn’t bother Elsa, though, to hold her sister. In fact, it was nice. As the two skated around the rink, they talked and laughed like normal sister relationships. Elsa felt like there was this giant breath that she had been holding, and being with Anna meant that she could let it out.

Of course, meeting all of Anna’s friends was somewhat stressful for Elsa. She had always been a solitary person, even when they were children, while Anna was a social butterfly. Elsa struggled to remember names and faces, though seeing her cousin Rapunzel was a welcome reprieve. The last time that Elsa had seen her, Rapunzel had been seven years old, missing a front tooth and sporting golden hair that fell to her knees. Now, her cousin was nineteen and a brunette, with a gleaming smile and a cute pixie cut.

“Did you dye your hair, Rapunzel?” Elsa asked after they’d hugged.

“No, it just darkened. Like, a lot. Weird, I know,” Rapunzel said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Well, I mean, where did the blonde even come from?” Anna said.

“Who knows?” Rapunzel laughed. “So, Elsa, how long will you be staying?”

“For the foreseeable future. My coach moved here as well, so I’ll still be practicing and everything. But it will be nice to get to be around family again,” Elsa said. Anna squeezed the arm that she was wrapped around.

“We should totally have a girls’ night. A sleepover. Like we did when we were little and Rapunzel came to visit for a week,” Anna said.

“That would be so much fun!” Rapunzel squealed.

“Yay!” Anna did a little jump—a bad move on her part. Her feet slid out from under her, and she collapsed on the ice, dragging her sister down with her. Elsa did her best to not fall on top of Anna, but both women hit the ground hard.

“Well, I think that might be the first time you’ve hit the ice since my mam started coaching you,” a voice said, thick with a Scottish brogue. Elsa rolled her eyes and looked up to see Merida grinning down at her.

“Ha ha. You’re hilarious, Mer,” Elsa said as she got to her feet. She reached down to help Anna up, who was babbling apologies like her life depended on it. “It’s fine, Anna. Everyone falls. Even me, contrary to what Red over here thinks.”

Merida scoffed. “You fall about as much as I miss a bullseye.” Elsa laughed, shaking her head at her friend.

“Anna, Rapunzel, this is Merida, my friend from Arendelle Academy and the daughter of my skating coach. Merida, this is my sister, Anna, and my cousin, Rapunzel,” Elsa said, pointing at the person as she said their name.

“Your hair is really big!” Anna blurted out.

“Anna!” Rapunzel admonished. She turned to Merida, her cheeks pink. “Ignore her. She has no filter. It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Merida said. The group moved over to the side of the rink to stay out of the way of skaters. Jack passed by, giving a sarcastic hat tip. Anna flipped him off.

“How has the move been?” Elsa asked. “Do you need help unpacking? I’d be more than happy to help.”

“Mam would go mad if she saw you lifting anything heavier than those workout weights you use. I appreciate the offer, Elsa, but we’re good.” Merida gave her a knowing look, and Elsa sighed. She glanced at Anna and Rapunzel, who were listening curiously.

“I’m thirsty. I think I’m going to go to the concessions. Merida, will you come with me?” Elsa raised her eyebrows.

“Aye, lass. Do you lot want anything?” Merida asked, turning to Anna and Rapunzel.

“Well, why don’t we just come with?” Anna said.

“No!” Elsa froze, then cleared her throat and smiled. “Sorry. I just mean, it took you so long to get your skates on the first time. You and Rapunzel should skate and have fun. Mer and I will be right back.”

Anna blinked. “Oh. Okay. Well, um, if you could get me a water, that would be great.” Elsa smiled, perhaps a bit too widely, and made her way off of the ice.

“What was that?” Merida asked as the two girls quickly untied their skates and put on their civilian shoes.

“I just… needed to talk to you about certain things, and my mother and father don’t want Anna to know about them,” Elsa said, fishing in her bag for her wallet. The two got up from the bleachers and nodded at Marshall as they walked past him out to the concessions area.

“What’s happened?” Merida asked, worry evident in her tone.

“Marshall said that there was another threat sent to my school address. And I received one in my email today as well.” Elsa moved to an empty table, fairly secluded from the other patrons. If they talked quietly enough, no one should be able to overhear them.

“Have you told Marshall yet? Maybe they can trace the IP address,” Merida said.

“I just got it. I’ll tell him later,” Elsa said, staring down at her wallet in her hands. She fiddled with the gold zipper, twisting it between her fingers.

“Spit it out, Elsa. I imagine we only have a certain amount of time before your sister and your cousin come looking for us.”

“Marshall said that… that there was a threat sent to my house. Here, in Burgess.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

“But how… you just got here yesterday! The only ones who knew about the move were you, Marshall, and my family!”

“Whoever is doing this is probably watching me, obviously. Marshall found some way to keep my move hidden, but no-one did the same for your family. They probably put two and two together.”

“So… what now?”

Elsa sighed. “Marshall thinks that I should move again. But just me this time.”

“Mam won’t be happy about that.”

“Well, I can’t exactly skate if I’m dead, can I?”

“Jesus, Elsa, don’t say that,” Merida said. Her face had gone pale. Her hands were fists on the table, clenched so tight that the knuckles were white.

“It’s just… I don’t want to leave,” Elsa said. “I uprooted my life in Arendelle to come here, to my family. And now I have to leave my family too? After I’ve gotten Anna’s hopes up? Now that there’s a chance that I could have my sister back?”

“Elsa…” Merida began.

“And you and your family, and Marshall and his husband. You’ve all moved here, for me, and now I’m just gonna leave? I feel horrible about it!” Elsa put her head in her hands, fingers pulling at the strands of her hair.

“Hey, we made the choice to come with you. Because we all care about you. Dad or I or the boys could’ve told Mam that we didn’t want to come here, but none of us did. Marshall could’ve fixed you up with a different bodyguard, but he didn’t. We came with you, so that you could be safe. If you have to leave again to be safe, then we’ll let you. Mam might be a little pissed, but she’ll get over it.”

“Mer… when does this end?”

“What?”

“This, this person. When do they stop threatening me? How many times do I have to run away before they give up? Or before they get me?”

“They won’t get you,” Merida said firmly. “You’ve got a best friend who’s deadly with a bow and arrow and unafraid to use it.”

“They’re just threatening me,” Elsa continued, ignoring her friend’s statement. “If they were threatening Anna or my parents, that would be a different story. But it’s just me. So, why should I run? Why can’t we catch this person here? Let’s make me bait.”

“Marshall will never go for that,” Merida said. “And I’m not so sure that I’m for that plan, either. This is your life, Elsa. It’s not something to gamble with.”

“Yes, it is my life. And I don’t want to waste it running and hiding.” Elsa shook her head. “God, I’m sorry that I told you this. I think my mind was made up to stay here, I just… needed to air out my thoughts.” Merida reached out and gripped her friend’s hand.

“No worries, Elsa. I’m glad that you told me. That’s what friends are for.” Merida smiled, and Elsa let out a small laugh.

“Now I’m going to have to tell Marshall. God, security measures are going to get even worse.” She groaned.

“You better believe it. And you can consider me an honorary bodyguard as well.”

“What? No. Mer, this is your time to do what you want, not follow me around like a puppy.”

“First of all, don’t compare me to a puppy. I’m not cutesy and excitable. Second of all, I was obviously going to hang out with you this summer. Now I’m just prepared to beat the crap out of anyone who threatens you.”

“Merida—”

“This is what friends are for. Now, come on, we need to get those waters and get back out on the ice.”

* * *

Anna sighed as Elsa and her friend walked over to their shoes. She knew that Elsa wanted to talk to Merida about something, and Anna was hurt that she couldn’t know as well. The past hour had been a blast, skating around with Elsa again and introducing her to people. She felt like they were really making progress, forming that tight sister bond that they had had when they were children. But Elsa obviously didn’t feel the same.

“Do you want to sit down, Anna?” Rapunzel asked, snapping Anna out of her reverie. Anna physically shook her head and smiled at her cousin.

“No, that’s okay. Just, uh, hold on tight to me, and we can try to stay upright.” Anna looped her arm through Rapunzel’s, and the two began to slowly make their way around the rink.

“So, uh, Merida seems nice, doesn’t she?” Rapunzel said, breaking the silence. Anna looked at Rapunzel to see her staring at the woman in question, her bright red hair bent as she took off the skates. Anna smirked as she recognized her cousin’s pattern.

“Shut up, Rapunzel. You do not,” Anna said. Rapunzel’s eyes widened as her face turned red.

“W-what?”

“You have a crush!” Anna sang. “Oh my God! What about Flynn?” Anna motioned over to Flynn Rider, another member of the Guardians, who was messing around with Jack and Kristoff on the opposite side of the ice. Rapunzel had had a crush on the self-proclaimed “King of the Smoulder” for nearly a year for some reason that Anna still had yet to identify.

“What about him?” Rapunzel asked.

“You’ve finally gotten over that stupid crush on him?”

“You can like more than one person at a time. And besides, I don’t know Merida enough to have a crush. I just think that she’s pretty.”

“You’re such a player, Punzie,” Anna teased. Rapunzel groaned.

“Shut up, Anna. Really, please, I’m serious,” she said.

“How ever will you choose? On the one hand, there’s the devilishly handsome, debonair ‘bad boy,’ but on the other hand, you’ve got the mysterious new girl who makes you feel alive?” Anna clasped her hands together and laid her head on them, sighing dreamily.

“You’re the worst,” Rapunzel said, laughing and glancing around to make sure that no one was listening. Anna continued gushing about the “two options.” She wrapped her arms around Rapunzel, becoming more and more animated. Rapunzel shoved her cousin off of her, a little harder than she intended. Anna yelped as she flew backwards, trying to gain traction on the ice. The back of her skates caught on the lip of the rink’s exit, and she flung her hands out, hoping to catch something. Instead, she felt arms catch her before she could hit the cement. Her eyes flew open—when had she closed them?—to look into her savior’s face. It wasn’t one she recognized.

“Are you okay?” the man holding her asked. Anna could only nod, her voice failing her as she took in his handsome features: auburn hair that fell slightly onto his forehead, green eyes filled with concern, a furrowed brow. She held back a gasp as he lifted her upright, his arms were really nice, and lead her to the bottom bleacher. “Miss?”

“Thank you,” Anna finally managed to breathe out. She vaguely heard Rapunzel coming up to them, apologizing profusely to Anna. “I’m Anna.”

The kind smile that spread across his features made her heart stop. “Nice to meet you, Anna. I’m Hans.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long update. I hope that everyone is enjoying the story! Let me know what you think in the comments!  
> Thank you all so so much for reading! I appreciate you!<3  
> ~Isabelle


	6. Lifeboat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some skating practice, some fledgling Jelsa, and a suspicious Hans...

  
_I float in a boat_  
_In a raging black ocean_  
_Low in the water_  
_And nowhere to go_  
_The tiniest lifeboat_  
_With people I know_  
~Lifeboat, Heathers the Musical  


* * *

“Elinor, are you sure that you’re done with all of the unpacking? It’s only been a few days,” Elsa said from the floor where she was stretching, looking up at her coach. “It won’t kill me to have a few days off of practicing if you’re still busy.”

“Nonsense,” Elinor said, fixing Elsa with a firm glare. “Perfection requires discipline and practice. We cannot afford to slack off anywhere.”

Elsa sighed. “Will you at least let me help you out after practice? Rearranging? Painting? Making beds?”

“Elsa, we are fine. You don’t need to worry about us.”

“You said that you’d take a week to get settled in, and instead you took four days. I don’t want you to overextend yourself.”

“I’m doing nothing of the sort. Fergus is taking care of everything, and Merida and the boys can handle the heavy lifting. Now, come on. Take a few laps around the rink before we begin warm-ups.”

Elsa sighed again as she got to her feet and stepped onto the ice. Her hair was still somewhat damp from her shower, the cold ends tickling the back of her neck from the end of her ponytail. She rolled her shoulders back as she began to glide across the frozen surface, putting her legs on autopilot as she thought about her past few days back in Burgess.

After going to the skating rink a few days ago, things with Anna had been… weird. For one, Anna had met some guy that she called Hans. Elsa hadn’t seen him, having returned to the skating area with the drinks a few minutes after Anna and the guy had left, so she had no clue about the guy: what he looked like, what he was like. Anna declared him to be dreamy and a gentleman when she had returned home later that night, having “saved her from a concussion.” The thought of him, however, set Elsa’s teeth on edge. Perhaps it was because she was protective of her sister; perhaps it was because she hadn’t met him yet; or, perhaps it was because of her lackluster history with men. Nevertheless, Elsa was determined to be her best self around Anna’s new boyfriend.

But Anna’s new relationship status wasn’t the only thing that was throwing Elsa off. Anna seemed to be distancing herself from her older sister, as if she was afraid that the moment she touched Elsa, she would disappear. Elsa fought to keep the thought from stinging, knowing that it was completely reasonable. The two sisters hadn’t seen each other since they were children after all. Anna was an adult, with a life and friends separate from Elsa. And Elsa had her own life as well, she knew. 

She needed to stop taking everything so personally, Elsa decided. Anna had a new relationship to navigate through with this Hans, and Elsa needed to give her the space that she so obviously desired. She shoved down the hurt that rose up; she was the big sister; she needed to be better.

“Okay, Elsa,” Elinor called from across the ice, breaking Elsa out of her reverie. “Let’s get started on your routine. Counting first, then we’ll put it to music.”

The next hour and a half flew by. Elsa had always had a knack for turning her brain off when she skated, dispelling the stress and the pain from everyday life and relishing in the freedom that skating brought. It didn’t matter how many times Elinor yelled at her to straighten her leg or to smile more; she did it without a second thought. It was why she was the best.

In fact, if it weren’t for the group of young men standing off to the side of the rink, Elsa knew that Elinor would have had her practice another two hours and that she would have done it gladly. Unfortunately for her, the rink was a communal space, and there was a community hockey team that needed to practice. Elinor, however, was not pleased.

“Mr. North, I specifically told you that I need more than an hour and a half for my coaching,” she said, stomping over to the large man. Elsa laughed under her breath as she skated to the bleachers and hobbled over to her bag. She listened to the small argument—Elinor indignant and offended, North good-natured and amused—as she smoothly undid the laces on her skates before taking them off and placing them in her bag.

“Elinor,” Elsa said as she began to slip on her tennis shoes. “It’s alright. We’ve practiced enough today, and you still have unpacking to do.”

“Elsa Winters, _I_ decide when we are done for the day!” Elinor gave her student a withering glare which said student simply laughed at.

“Why don’t you go work something out with Mr. North about the rink, and we can make it up some other time this week?” Elsa suggested as she stood up, workout bag placed on her shoulder and skating bag dangling from her other hand. Elinor pursed her lips in irritation but gave a nod, ordering Elsa to be prepared for a phone call as she left the rink with Mr. North.

At this turn of events, the hockey players decided that it was safe to get on the ice and begin their warm-ups. Elsa watched as they skated towards the middle of the rink, decked out in their gear and sticks in their hands. She had never really watched a hockey game before, figuring that the sport was much too aggressive for the beauty that the ice held for her. She almost likened it to sacrilege but held herself back. As her father liked to say, different strokes for different folks. She snorted quietly at the thought and turned to leave the rink and the boys to their practicing. She was stopped, however, by the tall form of one Jack Frost.

“Um, hi,” she said slowly, surprised at his presence. She could have sworn that all of the team members had already gone out on the ice, but it was hard to keep track of who was who when they were all moving around so quickly.

“Hey,” Jack replied. Elsa waited for him to say something, staring at a spot over his shoulder so she wouldn’t have to make eye contact. Even if his eyes were very blue and nice to look at.

Finally, it got to be too much for her: “What’s up?”

“Oh, uh, I just wanted to tell you that… you skate really nice?” Jack said.

“You mean ‘well,’” Elsa corrected automatically, then cringed. “Sorry.”

Jack laughed. “No, it’s cool, it’s fine.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from her. Elsa felt her chest tighten the longer she stood there, waiting for him to either say something or move out of her way.

Jack coughed. “So, uh, how have you been?”

Elsa blinked. “Fine…?”

“You know, with the whole bodyguard thing, I thought maybe something was happening with you. Anna tried to explain it, but then she met that Hans guy. Have you met Hans yet?” Jack said.

“Uh, no…” Elsa said, trying to get her thoughts in order. “How… why do you care about my bodyguard?”

“It just seems pretty serious, is all. And Anna seemed kind of upset about it, so I wondered…” Jack trailed off, his gaze going to the ice where his teammates were messing around.

“Anna was upset?” Elsa felt her heart drop into her stomach. Was that why Anna had been so distant lately? Not that she had any room to talk.

“I mean, not upset, just kind of weirded out… So, anyway, there was something I wanted to ask you,” Jack said, finally turning back to Elsa and locking eyes. She froze. He wasn’t going to…?  
“U-uh,” Elsa stammered.

“Anna’s birthday is coming up, and I wanted to throw her a surprise party. I thought you might like to be in on it,” Jack continued. Elsa let out a sigh of relief, the tension she hadn’t realized she carried draining away.

“Oh,” she said, “yes, yes I would.”

“Cool.” Jack smiled. Elsa gripped her elbows roughly as her stomach fluttered. There was a shout from the ice, a call of Jack’s name, and he held up a hand to whoever it was.

“You should probably get out there,” Elsa said.

“I should probably get your number,” he replied. “For party planning.”

Elsa felt her cheeks redden. “Oh, uh, yeah, but… you don’t have your phone on you, do you?” Taking your phone out onto the ice while skating was an accident waiting to happen.

“Give me yours,” Jack said, holding his hand out. Elsa grabbed her phone where she’d stashed it in her bag and handed it to Jack after unlocking it. He made a few swipes, then typed before handing it back to her.

“I texted myself,” he said, grinning. Elsa looked down at the screen: _Hey, handsome._ She looked back up at Jack and quirked an eyebrow.

“Someone’s cocky.”

Jack laughed loudly, throwing his head back. He looked at her, blue eyes twinkling, and winked. “I’ll catch you later, Snow Queen.” He skated away from her, leaving Elsa standing on the sidelines with her phone in hand. She looked down at the screen once more, shaking her head at the hockey emoji he’d put next to his name. Jack Frost was certainly something.

* * *

Elsa was sitting on the couch in the family room, reading when the doorbell rang. She looked up at the noise in surprise and checked the time. It was seven o’clock on a Tuesday night. Who could it be?

Elsa listened for any of her family members to go to the door; perhaps they were expecting someone? But she heard nothing aside from her mother talking to someone from the kitchen. Her father was in his study, her mother was on the phone, and Anna was upstairs probably texting with her boyfriend. Elsa carefully slid her bookmark into her page as she got up from the couch. The doorbell rang again.

She knew that she should probably call Marshall, that she shouldn’t be answering the door, but she shoved those thoughts aside. She was overreacting. It was probably somebody selling something. She could be a normal person: open the door, smile, say yes or no thank you.

The person on the other side of that door did not want to kill her.

Probably.

Elsa took a deep breath as she neared the door, her phone held tightly in her hand. She opened the door and looked out to the porch. A man stood on the door mat, cast in shadows so that Elsa couldn’t quite make out his features.

“Hello?” she asked. The man stepped forward, and she could see him. He had auburn hair and sideburns, a rectangular face, and a kind smile. In his hands, he held a bouquet of roses.

“Hi,” the man said, “I’m here to pick up Anna. Is she ready?”

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. Of course. He was here to pick up her sister, not to tie her up, throw her in the back of a car, and shoot her in a forest somewhere. He was Anna’s new boyfriend.

“Oh, you must be Hans,” Elsa said.

“Yes, that’s me,” he agreed, chuckling slightly.

“I’m sorry, come in,” Elsa stepped aside to let him into the foyer, closing the door behind him. “I’m sorry. Anna didn’t tell us that you two had plans. I can go check on her if you’d like?” There was a loud bang before Elsa finished her sentence, and Anna appeared at the top of the stairs in a bathrobe.

“Hans, hi! I’m so sorry! I’m running a little late. Give me five minutes, and I’ll be down!” Anna said, then bolted away without waiting for an answer. Hans looked towards Elsa with a light chuckle.

“Your sister is something,” he said. Elsa laughed along, wondering if he meant something good or something bad. She hoped the former.

“Yes, she’s a little scatter-brained. But she’s wonderful,” Elsa said. Hans nodded, agreeing with her. There was a small pause, and Elsa looked around the foyer, trying to ignore the awkwardness.

“So, tell me about yourself,” she said finally, breaking the silence. “Anna has been surprisingly tight-lipped about you.”

“Well, to be fair, this will only be our third date. But there’s really not much to tell. I’m the youngest of thirteen brothers,” Hans began. Elsa’s eyes widened.

“Wow,” she said.

“That’s everyone’s reaction.” Hans laughed. “And no, it was not particularly good to have that many siblings. They were horrible. Played pranks and all sorts of stuff on me.”

“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry,” Elsa said. She couldn’t imagine torturing Anna like that.

“Oh, I got used to it. And it’s something Anna and I bonded over, you know,” Hans said, “having siblings and still feeling lonely.”

Elsa’s small smile fell. “What?”

“Just that we both had siblings who essentially pretended that we didn’t exist. Three of my brothers pretended I was invisible for two whole years. Can you imagine?” Hans said all of this with a joking attitude, but his smile had turned cruel. Elsa’s stomach turned over itself.

“I- I never—”

“But we have each other now. All of that’s in the past,” Hans continued as if Elsa wasn’t talking.

“I talked with Anna as much as I could. I couldn’t help what happened to me!” Elsa snapped. Hans stopped.

“What happened to you?” he repeated. She felt the blood drain out of her face, taking an involuntary step back.

“I- I was sent to Norway. I had no control over it,” Elsa said, fighting to keep her voice steady. Hans gave her a measured look. He didn’t believe her; he thought she was lying. He wasn’t wrong.

“Okay!” Anna announced her presence as she flew down the stairs. “I’m ready!” She flung herself into Hans’s arms and by the time she had removed herself, the calculating look on his face was replaced with a warm smile.

“Hey, you,” he said. Anna giggled and glanced over her shoulder at Elsa. The delight in her features faded slightly, and Elsa felt her stomach drop with it. Did Anna think that she had abandoned her? Was that the problem?

“I hope I didn’t keep you too long,” Anna said, turning back to Hans.

“No, I was just talking with your sister,” Hans said. “Though I have to say that I much prefer your company to hers.”

“Hans!” Anna squealed, swatting at Hans’s shoulder and shaking her head at Elsa as if to say, _He didn’t mean it like that._ Elsa didn’t care either way.

“Do Mama and Papa know that you’re going out?” Elsa asked. Her question stopped the happy couple in the doorway. Anna looked back at Elsa and shrugged.

“I’ll be back before midnight. But to be honest, it’s none of their business. And it’s none of yours either.” The door shut firmly behind Anna. Elsa looked through the window as Anna and Hans walked hand in hand to his car, as he held the door open for her. Elsa could picture the giggle that Anna would give him as he closed it and turned to go to the driver’s side. But as he got to his side and opened his own door, Hans lifted his head. Elsa couldn’t see his face from this distance, but somehow, she knew he was looking right at her.

Elsa slid the deadbolt into place as the car drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry for not updating for so long! Thank you everyone for reading, and I hope that you're enjoying it so far!  
> Just curious: do you have a guess as to what Elsa's secret is? (Feel free to comment!)  
> Thank you for leaving kudos, bookmarking, etc. I appreciate it so, so much!  
> Thanks again!  
> ~Isabelle


	7. Wait For It

  
_I’m willing to wait for it…_  
_Life doesn’t discriminate_  
_Between the sinners and the saints_  
_It takes and it takes and it takes_  
_And we keep living anyway_  
_We rise and we fall and we break_  
_And we make our mistakes_  
~Wait For It, Hamilton

* * *

_Oaken’s Diner. 7 pm. Left corner booth in the back._ That was the text that Jack had sent to Elsa that morning. It was vague and a little creepy. Marshall insisted on accompanying her to whatever it was that Jack wanted her for, and Elsa had no objections. Yes, she wanted to appear normal to Anna’s friends and the people of Burgess, but the strange text message set her on edge. Elsa was objectively pretty, she knew that. Some judge always commented on it at one of her competitions without fail, usually a man. And being a pretty woman in this world wasn’t always a good thing.

Elsa let out a breath as Marshall parked the car in Oaken’s parking lot. She didn’t have a driver’s license, so she had to rely on other people taking her places. Elsa hated being a burden, but she had never had the time nor the use for driving lessons. Maybe she could convince Marshall to teach her since they had nothing better to do aside from her skating practice.

“I’ve heard that this place has great food,” Eli said, glancing back at Elsa from the passenger seat and smiling widely. Elsa grinned at his excitement. Eli was Marshall’s husband of five years, and he treated Elsa like a daughter, which was nice when her biological father was on another continent.

“We’re not here to taste the cuisine, Eli,” Marshall said, sighing. He was all seriousness while Eli was always cracking jokes. They were complete opposites, but they complimented each other so well. Elsa didn’t think that she’d ever seen two people so in love. The guilt at making them move began to creep up on her.

“No, yes, you are,” Elsa said. Marshall twisted around in his seat and gave her a look.

“I’m on duty, Elsa,” he told her. Elsa rolled her eyes.

“You’re always on duty. But look, Jack is Anna’s friend, so I seriously doubt he’s a creep. You two can get a separate table in the restaurant and have a date. I’ll be fine. If I start to get nervous, I’ll let you know, okay?” Elsa said. Marshall opened his mouth as if to argue, but Elsa cut him off. “You deserve a nice night with your husband, without worrying about me. Please. I’ll be fine.” She held his gaze as he glared at her, chin tilting up in defiance. Finally, he relented.

“Alright,” Marshall said, turning off the ignition. “But the second something suspicious happens, we’re leaving. Even if I have to carry you out of there kicking and screaming.” Elsa gave a wry smile as Eli cheered, leaning over to kiss his husband on the cheek.

“I have way too much decorum to be carried out of a restaurant, Marshall,” Elsa informed him. She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, heading into the restaurant ahead of the couple. The bell jingled as she pushed the door open, signalling her arrival to Oaken’s patrons. Elsa took a deep breath as she ignored the nervous flutter in her stomach and looked around the room for Jack: _Left corner booth in the back._ She spotted the unmistakable head of silver hair and made her way to him.

“Hi,” Elsa said as she approached the booth. Jack turned around and smiled, opening his mouth to say something, but Rapunzel popped up behind him and let out a squeal before he could.

“Hey, Els!” The brunette greeted. She leaned over Jack to grab Elsa’s arm and pull her into the opposite side of the booth. Elsa blinked in surprise as Rapunzel gave her a conspiratorial wink. “Isn’t this so exciting?”

“What’s exciting?” Elsa asked slowly.

“Planning a surprise party!” Rapunzel said. Elsa didn’t understand. It must have shown on her face as Rapunzel acknowledged Jack for the first time since Elsa had arrived. “Did you not tell her what we were doing here?”

“I didn’t want Anna to find out! I was worried she might see the text message,” Jack said.

“Anna?” Elsa asked, still confused. Then, it hit her. “Oh my God. It’s June. Anna’s birthday.”

“Exactly!” Rapunzel agreed.

“But her birthday isn’t for another three weeks?” Elsa said.

“It’s a surprise party. We kind of need to plan it,” Jack pointed out.

“Oh. Right. Planning.” Elsa leaned back into the booth, the tension that she had been carrying with her ever since she’d seen the vague text message released.

“What did you think I texted you about?” Jack asked.

“I had no idea. It kind of freaked me out, to be honest,” she said.

“And you still came? Your bodyguard let you do that?”

“My bodyguard is across the restaurant having a nice dinner with his husband. At least, he will now that I can tell him everything’s ‘on the level’.”

The trio looked around the restaurant and found the hulking man in question, sitting at a small table with his small husband. Eli looked up then, almost as if he could sense there were eyes on him, and raised a brow at Elsa. She gave a thumbs up and mouthed _It’s fine_ , pointing to Marshall so that he would tell him. Marshall turned to look then too, staring with a blank face. Eli waved cheerfully, then brought Marshall’s attention back to him. The contrast between the couple truly was adorable.

“Does he really not trust me that much?” Jack asked, feigning hurt.

“He doesn’t trust any men around me,” Elsa said. She froze as soon as the words left her mouth, wincing internally. Her thoughts raced as she tried to think of a way to explain what she’d just said when a large shadow fell across the table. Elsa looked up to see a man with broad shoulders, sandy blond hair, and a friendly face.

“Hey, Kristoff, glad you could make it,” Jack said, leaning his head back on his arms so that he was lounging in his seat. Rapunzel scooted away from his spread out form and closer towards Elsa. The man, Kristoff, snorted.

“I work here, Frost,” he said, bringing attention to the apron tied around his waist, resplendent in its green and blue Scandinavian pattern with _Oaken’s Diner_ written across it in bright orange. Jack’s eyes glittered with mirth.

“What? Ugh, God, I always forget that.” He hit himself on the head, smirking.

“Ha ha,” Kristoff deadpanned. “What are you doing here?”

“Did you get my text?” Jack asked.

“Yes.”

“So, come on, sit down. It’s party planning time!”

“I’m at work.”

“So?”

 

“'So?'” Kristoff groaned. “Jack, I have to work.”

“Take a break. Oaken won’t care. You’re with me, his favorite customer.” Jack gave a winning smile. Kristoff glared. Elsa sensed that he was reaching his limit for Jack’s shenanigans.

“How about this?” Rapunzel cut in. Apparently, she could sense it, too. “You’re our waiter, right? So we’ll order some stuff and you can hang around when you’re not too busy.”

Kristoff sighed. “Rapunzel…”

“Don’t you wanna help surprise Anna?” she asked.

“Yes, but…”

“Then just do it. I’d like a lemonade, please, kind waiter.” Rapunzel ended her sentence with a cheery smile. Kristoff sighed again as he pulled a notebook out of his apron pocket.

“Alright, and you…?” He turned to Elsa and looked at her for the first time. He stopped, eyes wide.

“This is Elsa, Anna’s sister,” Jack said after a moment. Kristoff blinked, shaking his head.

“Oh, uh, sorry, I was just… surprised,” Kristoff said sheepishly.

“Surprised?” Elsa asked.

“At how much you looked like Anna. Or, I guess, how much she looks like you. Or how much you both look like your mother,” Kristoff said rapidly. Elsa smiled at his ramblings. Hadn’t Anna mentioned Kristoff before?

“That’s alright. I get those looks alot. It’s almost like I came back from the dead and not from another country,” she said, letting out an awkward laugh.

Kristoff coughed. “So, um, what can I get you to drink?”

“Water, please. Thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll be right back.” Kristoff flipped his notebook closed and left their table.

“Hey, you didn’t take my order!” Jack called. Kristoff pretended not to hear him. Rapunzel laughed.

“Anna’s mentioned Kristoff before to me, right?” Elsa asked.

“I don’t know, maybe? I tease her a lot about him.” Jack shrugged.

“Why?”

“Well, Kristoff has been in love with her for, like, two years, and I thought that Anna felt the same way. But I guess with her new boyfriend she must not have.”

“He likes Anna?” Elsa asked.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

“I’m not surprised… not that someone couldn’t love Anna. It’s just… Kristoff seems so….” Elsa trailed off, looking for the right words.

“Serious?” Rapunzel supplied. Elsa nodded thoughtfully.

“Something like that,” she agreed.

“Opposites attract,” Jack said, pulling a napkin out of the dispenser and tearing into it.

Rapunzel sighed. “I hate that saying. But enough about this, let’s start planning Anna’s party.”

“I’ll be right back,” Elsa said, scooting out of the booth.

“Where are you going?” Jack asked, giving her a look.

“Marshall still looks as if he’s going to come over here and give you the third degree. I figured I should go ease his mind if we’re going to be here for a while. Poor Eli deserves his husband’s full attention,” Elsa said pointedly. She headed for the couple’s table, but her eyes were scanning the restaurant for a large head topped with a mop of sandy blond hair. She found him hunched over something in a corner near the kitchen and changed her path.

“Hey,” Elsa said as she approached, “Kristoff, right?” The man jumped when he heard her voice, the two cups in his hands nearly spilling their contents. He saw that it was the platinum blonde and let out a sigh.

“Hi, yes, that’s me. And you’re Elsa, Anna’s mysterious older sister,” he said, placing the drinks onto the top of the machine.

“Um, yes, I suppose that would be me,” Elsa said, heart twinging at the thought of Anna describing her as a stranger. She shook her head and moved on to the more pressing matter in her head. “I have a question for you, Kristoff.”

“Okay, what is it?” Kristoff asked slowly, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Have you… met… Anna’s new boyfriend yet? Hans?” Elsa asked, choosing her words carefully. At the mention of Hans, something in Kristoff’s face shifted. Where before it had been somewhat amicable behind the waiter-friendly mask, now there was something somber and a little heart-broken. Elsa could relate.

“Not really,” Kristoff told her. “I mean, I met him that day that Anna met him. After he caught her or whatever and they were leaving, I ran into them. Anna was giggling like crazy. As Hans went to get his shoes, she told me that she was in love.”

“Love?” Elsa practically choked on the word.

“I know. But Anna’s always been like that, you know her…” Kristoff stopped himself, wincing. Elsa looked down at her feet. Had Anna truly been this unhappy? That she shared every painful detail about a nonexistent sisterly relationship with every friend?

Elsa cleared her throat. “Um, so what did you think? Of Hans, I mean?”

Kristoff straightened his shoulders and looked anywhere but at Elsa. “I mean, he makes Anna happy, right?”

“I don’t know that he does,” Elsa said. “Something seems off about him.” Kristoff met her gaze then, surprise apparent in his eyes.

“You think so too?”

“Yeah. Do you?”

“I don’t know… maybe it’s just me being…” Kristoff blushed and turned back around to mess with the drinks.

“Jealous?” Elsa said softly. 

He sighed. “Yeah.”

“Do you think I’m being jealous as well?” Elsa asked thoughtfully. She supposed that it would make sense. After all, she had just returned from a decade long stay in another country, expecting her baby sister to spend all of her time with like they did as children. Perhaps she was unconsciously upset that Anna had a new relationship to think about when it felt like the sisters were beginning one themselves.

“I think that there is something off about Hans,” Kristoff said. Elsa nodded.

“Well, it’s just…. The other day…. He— I don’t know. I wouldn’t say he necessarily threatened me, but it certainly felt like he was. He most definitely was not polite,” Elsa told Kristoff. “I’m just worried, I guess.”

“Well, what do we do?” Kristoff asked.

Elsa sighed. “I don’t know. It’s very apparent that I don’t know Anna as well as I used to. And I have no idea about your relationship with her.”

Kristoff blushed again. “It’s not much. But what about Jack? What does he think?”

“You expect me to talk to Jack about my sister’s love life?” Elsa asked.

“You asked me,” Kristoff pointed out.

“Well, yes, but—” _But you don’t make me feel the way Jack does._

“I think we should see what Jack thinks. He knows Anna the best. And until then, I think that you should know that you have a friend in me,” Kristoff said. Elsa was about to splutter some more about Jack, but she paused at Kristoff’s words.

“Friend?”

“Yeah. You seem like you could use one.”

Elsa smiled. “I think I could.” She held out her hand to Kristoff and jiggled it. “Friends?” Kristoff smiled back, placing his hand in hers.

“Friends.”


	8. How 'Bout a Dance?

_How ‘bout a dance?_  
_Let’s make a start_  
_Music like this can really throw ya_  
_You’ll lose the blues_  
_And you may lose your heart_  
~How ‘Bout A Dance?, Bonnie and Clyde: A New Musical

* * *

 

Marshall sighed as he looked over the latest threat that had been sent Elsa’s way. The coward had apparently decided to move to email, though Marshall couldn’t understand why. His computer people were tracking the IP address down as he sat there; surely they had to find something.

He leaned back in his seat and rubbed his hands over his face. These death threats were getting monotonous. The sender didn’t appear to have any plan to attack Elsa, whether that be to kidnap her or kill her. Of course, Marshall took every threat to Elsa Winters seriously, but this one was just obnoxious. Generic threats, no signature—it was textbook stalker tendencies. And that’s what set Marshall off. This person was holding back.

They were feigning casual, attempting to not show how badly they wanted Elsa. But Marshall knew how to read between the lines. He was an expert at it. That’s why the Winters’ had hired him, specifically. Marshall would keep away the creeps, the psychopaths, the wolves in sheep’s clothing. None would get near their beloved elder daughter. Never again.

* * *

Jack slung his hockey bag over his shoulder as he knocked on the thick double doors of the Winters’ household. Sure, it was seven thirty in the morning, but Anna should know better than to try to sleep in on Best Friend Friday Breakfast. It was tradition.

“Jack?” For the second time in a week, Elsa answered the door instead of Anna, in a long-sleeved thermal shirt and leggings. Jack was just glad that this time he was on even footing with her, both literally and figuratively.

“Hey, Elsa. Is Anna up?” Jack asked, taking in the tiredness of the young woman across from him. He watched as she folded in on herself, as if she could become less noticeable despite them being the only two people in the doorway.

“You do know that it’s seven am, right?” Elsa asked.

“Actually, it’s seven thirty.” Jack pointed held his bare wrist out towards her to show her his imaginary watch. Elsa pursed her lips to hide a smile.

“Yes, well, I don’t think Anna plans on waking up anytime soon. I could hear her on the phone with Hans all night,” she said.

“Then I guess she’s just gonna be really tired at breakfast,” Jack said cheerfully. “Can I come in?”

“Uh, sure?” Elsa said, stepping aside as Jack made his way into the foyer. She trailed after him as he jogged up the stairs, his bag slapping against his back with every step. He really should have left it by the door.

“Um, Jack, I really don’t think waking her up is a good idea,” Elsa said, stepping in front of him as he moved towards Anna’s room.

“Don’t worry about it. Anna knows the drill. It’s BFFB!”

Elsa put a hand out to stop him, tilting her head quizzically. “BFFB?”

“Best Friend Friday Breakfast,” Jack said.

“Nice alliteration.” She dropped her hand. “But I don’t know that that matters to Anna right now.”

Jack stopped. “Doesn’t matter?”

Elsa winced. “Wrong choice of words. I just mean that, Anna’s been… different… since she met Hans.”

Jack fought the urge to laugh in her face. Elsa hadn’t seen Anna in over a decade. What did she know about Anna being ‘different?’ Elsa didn’t know Anna’s normal. In this irrational burst of anger, Jack couldn’t help the rant that spewed out of him: “Listen, Snow Queen, I know you’re Anna’s sister, but I’m her best friend. You knew her as a cutesy five year old who worshiped her big sister. I know her as the klutzy, loyal, loving, and confident woman that she’s become. I know that she has horrible bedhead when she wakes up no matter what she does to her hair the night before. I know her top ten favorite chocolate brands in descending order. I know that she can’t skate to save her skin, but there’s a part of her that still loves it because of memories she made with you. So, Anna might be acting different than how you knew her, but that doesn’t mean she’s acting different to the people who know her.”

Jack took a deep breath, the realization of everything that he’d just said to Elsa sinking in. He watched as she stilled, her hands clutching at the sleeves of her shirt. He could see the wall of ice fall behind her eyes, the blue freezing over into something cold and dangerous.

“You’re absolutely right, Jack Frost,” Elsa said, her voice so polite and so, so dead. “I apologize for my presumptuousness. How silly of me to worry about my sister. Clearly, you have things handled. I’ll just excuse myself then.” She didn’t give him a chance to answer, simply stepped around him to head downstairs, posture so straight it looked painful. He sighed as her footsteps faded away, then shook his head to focus on the task at hand. He hadn’t meant to snap at Elsa, but he could apologize later; right now, he needed to see Anna. It had been almost a week since he’d last seen her, the longest time that the two best friends had gone without hanging out for years, and truth be told, he was starting to worry about her.

Jack pushed open Anna’s door, entering her room as quietly as possible. If Anna had been up late into the night, a loud wake-up call would piss her off more than usual. But as he walked over to her bed, ready to shake his best friend awake, Jack realized that she wasn’t in it. Yes, there was a lump under the covers, a million pillows piled on top, but it was not an Anna-shaped lump. Which meant that she wasn’t here; which meant that she had probably snuck out to see Hans.

Jack took a step back, hand automatically reaching for his phone as if a text from Anna would be there, explaining that she was already at Oaken’s with chocolate chip pancakes on the way. But then he remembered that he’d left his phone on the charger at his house, and that even if he had it, he knew there wouldn’t be any notifications. And try as he might, the hurt that his best friend had ditched him continued to rise up in his throat even as he went off in search of her older sister with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

* * *

Elsa sat at the kitchen island, a cup of cooling peppermint tea in her hands. She didn’t know how long she’d been sitting on a stool, staring at nothing and thinking about everything, but she did know that the mug had originally been intended to keep her hands warm more than a soothing beverage. Elsa sighed and took a sip. It tasted like lukewarm water and leaves.

“Hey, um, Elsa?” a voice said behind her. Elsa didn’t bother to turn around; she knew it was Jack. Aside from the fact that he was currently the only young male in her house, he was also pretty much the only young male that she knew in Burgess, and one of the first new voices that she had heard when she arrived a week ago. God, had it really only been a week? It felt like a lifetime; Elsa felt a hundred years old.

“Waiting for Anna to get ready?” Elsa asked, staring down at the brown liquid. Her voice caused little ripples throughout the surface.

“Not exactly…” Jack hedged. At this, Elsa did turn to look at him. He looked sheepish, perhaps for his earlier words to her despite the truth that they held. She was grateful, though, to see that he seemed to regret his quick tongue. However, worry featured more prominently on his face. As the self-proclaimed ‘Guardian of Fun,’ distress did not suit him.

“What’s wrong?” Elsa asked.

“Anna’s not here.”

“What?”

“Relax! Look, it’s probably not a big deal. She’s probably with Hans, you know?”

“And that’s not a big deal?” Elsa demanded, getting up from her stool. Her heart had begun to race, worry for her little sister racing through her veins. On one hand, Elsa knew that Anna was most likely safe and blissfully happy off in the arms of her new beau, but there was a part of her that could only see the shadowy hands, reaching for her baby sister as they’d once reached for her.

“Oh please, teenagers sneak out all of the time,” Jack said. If Elsa had been paying closer attention, she would have seen the strain behind Jack’s tone. While he might not have been worried about Anna, he was certainly upset at her. Elsa, however, was firmly entrenched in panic mode.

“I don’t sneak out! My friends never snuck out! Have you ever snuck out? Has Anna?” Elsa asked.

Jack paused. “Well, no, but there’s never been any need to. Our parents trust us and each other, and we’ve never wanted to do anything they wouldn’t agree with.”

Elsa was too busy trying not to hyperventilate to register what Jack was saying. Her mug was long-forgotten on the counter as she paced back and forth in front of it. Her fingers twisted around the hem of her sleeves, turning red and white from the sudden lack and gain of blood flow. Elsa tried to focus.

“Okay,” she muttered, releasing her grip on her sweater, “we need to call people. Marshall. Our parents. Rapunzel. Anna’s friends, your friends, too, I suppose. Kristoff? Who else?” Jack cut Elsa off before she could continue her ramblings.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s fine. We don’t need to call anyone, okay? Anna’s perfectly fine.”

“She is off with a stranger whom any of us barely know, someone that she only met a few days ago and doesn’t seem to respect the people close to her. I don’t trust Hans as far as I can throw him,” Elsa snapped. Jack blinked.

“Man, you really don’t like this guy.”

“No, no, I don’t.” Elsa sighed, closing her eyes. “I just… have a bad feeling. People are allowed to have those, aren’t they?”

Jack sighed as well. “I get it. Look, why don’t you call her and see what’s happening. She can set your mind at ease.”

“Anna won’t answer me.” Elsa was sure of it. “Why don’t you call her?”

“I can’t. My phone’s at home,” Jack said.

“Then let’s go get it,” Elsa said.

“Let’s?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “As in ‘let us’? As in both of us?”

“Yes,” Elsa answered. “Anna’s my sister and your best friend. We both want to know where she’s at. We’ll go get your phone, she’ll talk to you, and that’ll be that.”

“Elsa, I don’t know…”

“Jack, please. I know we don’t know each other that well. I know that I pissed you off upstairs and that you said some hurtful things to me, no matter how accurate they were, but I need this. I can tell myself that Anna’s safe, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to believe it. Please, just… ease my mind?”

Jack blinked. “Um, okay.”

Elsa sighed in relief. “Thank you. Shall we?”

“Would you like to change out of your pajamas?” Jack asked, motioning to her attire. Elsa felt her cheeks warm as she looked down at her state of dress. It wasn’t like it was immodest, but sleeping was one of her only moments of vulnerability. She hadn’t even thought of it before, but now she felt as if she’d lifted up her shirt and bared her chest to Jack.

“Er, right, yes. Yes, I’ll go... do that.” Elsa hurried up the stairs, cursing under her breath and trying to get her heart rate under control.

* * *

Elsa didn’t say a word the entire car ride to his house. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw her typing on her phone, probably letting her bodyguard know what was going on or trying to get in contact with Anna. At the thought of Anna, Jack felt his temper flare but kept it under control. He could be pissed at her when they were face to face. You don’t skip out on Best Friend Friday Breakfast; it was a punishable offense.

Jack parked on the road in front of his house and motioned for Elsa to get out as he undid his seatbelt. He tried not to stare at the fluid grace in her movements as she stepped out of the car, gently flipping her platinum blonde braid over her shoulder. He reminded himself that she and Anna weren’t on the best of terms currently, and as Anna’s best friend, that meant he wasn’t on the best of terms with Elsa either. But… then again, he wasn’t sure that he and Anna were all good right now. Ditching him without warning? That warranted some slight anger and—

“Um, Jack?” Elsa’s uncertain voice broke through his thoughts. He grimaced slightly as he slid out of his seat.

“Sorry,” he said. “Uh, my seatbelt got stuck.” Elsa gave him a look but said nothing as she followed him up the walkway.

“Your house looks very nice,” she commented. He tried to imagine it through her eyes, compared to the no-doubt-spectacularly-fancy boarding school she’d lived at for the past decade and the mansion that her family owned here in Burgess. ‘Nice’ was probably more like ‘frumpy’ in her vocabulary, but he thought it was nice all the same. A simple, two-story white house with blue shutters and simple landscaping courtesy of his father. There was a pond out back that froze solid in the winter where Jack had first learned how to skate, and Emma’s garden that she tended to all year long even when it died in the colder months. She loved plants more than anyone Jack knew.

“Thanks,” Jack said. “I’ll just run inside real quick and grab my phone, and then we can be on our way.” Elsa nodded her assent just as the front door crashed open and a large, leafy fern toddled through the doorway. Jack sighed as his sister poked her head around the plant, eyes widening at the sight of Elsa.

“Jack, what are you doing back so early?” she asked, setting the fern down on the ground. “Who’s this? And where’s Anna?”

“We don’t know, actually,” Jack said, stepping up onto the porch. “That’s why we’re here. This is Anna’s sister, Elsa.”

“The figure skater?” Emma asked. He could practically see the stars in her eyes as she looked at Elsa again. Elsa, however, was beginning to look vaguely uncomfortable as the younger girl continued to stare at her.

“Um, yes,” she said.

“Elsa, this is my sister, Emma.” Jack continued the introductions. “Flee, stop staring. It’s rude. I’m going to run inside. I’ll be right back.” Emma scrunched up her face at the nickname, but Jack pushed past her before she could yell at him for treating her like a baby. He ran up to his room and unplugged his phone from where it was charging. No missed calls or texts. Anna hadn’t even bothered to let him know she was ditching.

* * *

Jack’s younger sister, Emma, was really quite sweet. But she was also a lot to handle, particularly at eight in the morning when Elsa was ill-prepared to deal with a highly excitable tween.

Elsa struggled to keep up with the girl as she flitted from one topic to the next, talking about Elsa’s figure skating, then her own, then Jack’s hockey playing, then her own figure skating costumes and would Elsa like to see them because they were super pretty. Elsa was beginning to get a headache.

“Um, do you like plants?” Elsa finally cut in, motioning to the green monstrosity currently at their feet. Emma paused, looked at the plant, and grinned.

“Oh, yeah! I garden! In the back. Do you wanna come see it?”

“Actually, Flee,” Jack said, walking onto the front porch before his younger sister could spirit away their guest, “we’re going to go get Anna. Maybe some other time?”

Emma pouted. “But you never bring your girlfriends over!” Elsa’s mouth dropped open as Jack audibly choked. She felt her cheeks burning and brushed a nonexistent strand of hair behind her ear.

“Oh, no! No, no, no, we’re not dating,” Elsa said.

“We just met,” Jack added.

“Yes! We barely know each other,” Elsa agreed. She couldn’t quite bear to look Jack in the eye at the moment, so she kept her gaze firmly on Emma who was eyeing them suspiciously.

“But you got in his car?” she pointed out.

“Well, yes, but that’s because Anna knows him, and we want to find her, so…” Elsa trailed off awkwardly.

“Come on, Emma,” Jack said, his voice full of exasperation. “Anna and I are best friends, remember? Why would I be dating her sister?” Elsa wasn’t quite sure that she followed his logic but didn’t contradict him.

“Did you get ahold of Anna?” Elsa asked instead, bringing the attention back to why she was even at his house in the first place. He glanced at her and shook his head.

“I sent her a text. She hasn’t responded yet, but I figured we could call her in the car and find out where she is.” He turned back to Emma. “We’re leaving now. I’ll be back later, okay?”

Emma huffed but said nothing else as the pair walked down the lawn to Jack’s car.

“Sorry about her,” Jack said under his breath once they got to the street. “She’s… something else.” Elsa let out a small laugh.

“It’s okay. She’s sweet. She reminds me of Anna.” The two girls were certainly similar. Elsa wondered if Emma had picked up those habits from Anna. The thought made her heart twinge. What sort of habits might Anna have picked up from Elsa if she had been around? A low voice spoke behind her before she could put any more thought into the idea.

“Frost.” Elsa whipped around to see a tall, extremely pale man standing right behind her. He was deathly-looking, his skin taking on an almost grayish tone and dressed in black from head to toe. The only source of light came from his eyes, which were an unearthly shade of gold. Elsa’s breath caught in her throat as she stumbled back against the car.

“Pitch, hey,” Jack said, his voice strangely neutral. He made his way to Elsa, setting a hand on her arm before glaring at the man. “Way to make a person piss themselves. You know most people say ‘hello’ as a greeting.” The man, Pitch, rolled his eyes and glanced at Elsa.

“I apologize, miss,” he said formally, eyes trained on her face. Elsa almost expected him to bow at the waist to her. Or perhaps the formal tone was due to the British accent he had. Either way, it was unsettling. He was unsettling.

“I-It’s alright,” Elsa said. She lightly shrugged Jack’s hand off and stood up straight, arms folding across her chest and hands gripping at her elbows.

“So, can I help you? We saw each other an hour ago,” Jack said.

“I just wanted to let you know that your uncle called for a group meeting tonight. It was last minute,” Pitch said.

“Yeah, I saw. I have my phone.” Jack waved the device in the air. Pitch grimaced.

“Of course. But you never responded. And as team manager, it’s my job to make sure that all of the team members are in the know,” Pitch said.

“Whatever, thanks.” Jack rolled his eyes. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have things to do.” He opened Elsa’s car door and motioned for her to climb in.

“You’re Elsa Winters, right?” Pitch said. Elsa paused and looked over her shoulder at him.

“Um, yes. Yes, I am.” She looked nervously at Jack who was watching Pitch carefully. “And you are?” Elsa was nothing if not polite.

“Kozmotis Pitchiner. But everyone calls me Pitch. I’m a fan,” he introduced himself. Elsa fought the shiver that crawled down her back.

“I’m flattered,” she said and slid into the car. Jack closed the door behind her, and she could hear the muffled sound of the two men talking. Elsa dug her nails into her jean-clad knees. Why were her hands shaking so badly? Nothing happened. She managed to suck in a breath as Jack got into the car, watching as Pitch walked away.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jack asked. She whipped her head around to see his concerned face, a hand hovering awkwardly in the space between him as if he didn’t know how to comfort her.

“I’m fine, thanks.” She reached for her seat belt and strapped it across her, silently begging him to go ahead and start the damn car. Her prayers were answered as he put the key in the ignition and the vehicle rumbled to life underneath them.

“So, Anna got back to me,” he said. Jack held his phone out to Elsa, screen lit up on their conversation.

Anna: I’m fine! W/ Hans!

Elsa sighed. “We knew that.” A message came in before Jack could respond. Elsa read it. Her heart dropped.

Keep Elsa distracted for me? I’m so sick of her big sister act.

Elsa stared straight ahead out of the windshield as Jack read the message. She could feel his eyes on her as he shut the screen off and set it in the console. He coughed awkwardly.

“So… what do you want to do today?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack, sorry it took so long for this update! Hope the chapter makes up for it (kinda?)!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment with any suggestions or questions, or even just letting me know how you liked it! Hopefully have a new chapter up within a few days (but I should probably be doing college work. C'est la vie.)
> 
> Thank you, lovelies<3  
> ~Isabelle


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